gameplay
by perfectlyrose
Summary: The Doctor and Rose are stuck in the Vortex for a few days and end up playing a game to pass the time. It has an unforeseen, but entirely welcome, outcome. (Ten/Rose canon-verse)


"Rose, I'm boooored," the Doctor whined, bouncing on the balls of his feet next to where Rose was making tea in the galley.

"Your fault for breaking something and stranding us for three days," Rose pointed out, pressing her lips together to try and suppress her smile. They had been stuck in the vortex for two out of those three days so far while the TARDIS finished recalibrating something or another after the Doctor had ostensibly fixed it. The Doctor had developed a severe case of cabin fever by hour twenty.

"I didn't _break_ anything," he retorted. "I simply miscalculated how long it would take for the recalibration of the temporal stabilizers after my latest modifications."

Rose turned, mug of tea in hand and leaned against the counter. She looked up at him as she took a sip. "Were you doing these modifications to fix something that you broke?"

The Doctor opened his mouth and then closed it again. "That's neither here nor there," he blustered.  
"The point is that I didn't break anything during the modifications and I'm bored."

Rose bit her lip to stifle a giggle. The truth was she was rather bored herself but she wasn't going to admit it when it would just lead to the Doctor crowing in victory. "Well, I was about to go watch a film. You're welcome to join me," she offered.

He made a face. "Which one? Because if it's one of those sci-fi ones that aren't actually based on any discernable science that you like to make me watch then I'd rather take my chances with debilitating boredom."

"You're such a drama queen," Rose teased, poking him in the side. "Was just gonna let the TARDIS pick the movie since I'm not in the mood for anything in particular."

"Well, I suppose a random movie is better than nothing," he conceded with ill grace.

"So glad spending time with me is so high on your list of things to do," Rose shot back.

"I came in here to spend time with you!" The Doctor protested. "'S not my fault that I know your movie taste is abysmal."

"You're one to talk. All you ever want to watch are documentaries you can pick apart and Disney movies."

"Disney movies are timeless classics."

"I know, but we watched five last week. That's a bit much sometimes." Rose ignored his indignant sputtering and headed towards the corridor and the media room. He was just too easy to wind up sometimes.

They settled onto the couch in the media room, still teasing each other good naturedly as Rose propped her feet up in the Doctor's lap and he draped an arm over her legs. A quick mental nudge to the TARDIS had the lights dimming and the screen flickering on.

The ship chose a cheesy comedy that they both made fun of the entire time. By the time it ended, Rose was cuddled into the Doctor's side, poking him whenever he made an especially derisive comment.

"You know," she said, pulling back so she could look at him, "we could make this like a proper slumber party."

"Does that mean we have to watch another movie? Because I'm choosing next if that's the case."

"No, I think we're done with movies. But we could go get some junk food and see where it goes."

The Doctor looked skeptical.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Rose wheedled.

"Fine," he conceded, never able to hold out against her pleas. He was fairly certain she had figured that out long ago and employed that certain tone of voice whenever she really wanted something. Luckily she didn't abuse the power they both knew she had. "But you go make the popcorn, I'll find some music. That's something you usually have at these things, right?"

"Yeah, that'd be brilliant," Rose said. She leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before bouncing off the couch and out of the room.

The Doctor sat completely still for a couple of seconds, savoring the lingering warmth from where her lips had made contact with his skin. Shaking himself, he moved to program in the music he wanted to play. Rose had recently become enamored with 32nd century Earth pop so he mixed that in with the multi-era jazz he'd been listening to for the past week and set it to play.

He was tapping his foot with the beat of one of the pop songs when Rose walked back into the room with the popcorn, singing along with the band. She danced the last few steps to him and then plopped down on the couch with a laugh.

The Doctor immediately grabbed a handful of popcorn, pontificating on how it was a brilliant snack and how it had gotten associated with the movie experience during the American Great Depression and never shook the connection. Popcorn and popcorn substitutes and imitations were served at movie theaters across the universe for millennia.

He only stopped when Rose threw a piece of the historically fascinating snack at him.

"Don't usually get history lessons at a slumber party, Doctor," she teased.

"Didn't hear you complaining."

"Was interesting," she admitted. "Still not what I had in mind for tonight though."

Her smile was mischievous, tongue just peeking out of the corner and the Doctor's mind had no trouble finding lots of entertaining ways to take that statement, many of them straight out of the fantasies he let himself indulge sometimes in after Rose went to bed.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" He didn't exactly sound calm but he counted it as a success that he hadn't squeaked and didn't feel like he was blushing.

"Fancy a game of truth or dare?" She smiled her full tongue-in-teeth grin at him, already daring him to agree to play.

He swallowed hard. This could go badly in a variety of ways but it could also go brilliantly and he was never one for turning down a challenge from one Rose Tyler. "Alright, you're the slumber party expert, I'll bow to your experience in choosing activities," he said.

"Alright Doctor, truth or dare?" Rose wasted no time starting the game, almost as if she was afraid he'd change his mind.

"Truth," he said after a moment's deliberation.

"I'll start you off easy," Rose teased, tapping her chin as she thought up a question. "What color pants are you wearing?"

The Doctor could feel his cheeks heating up as he sputtered. "That's starting me off easy?"

"Welcome to a slumber party, Doctor," Rose answered with a wink. "Now answer the question."

"Well, I, um, haven't done laundry so I'm not wearing any today," he mumbled in a rush.

"Didn't think anyone would find out," he said with a sniff over her giggles when they didn't subside after a couple of second. "Alright then, Rose Tyler, truth or dare?"

"Dare," came her instant response.

"That's not fair, I had a good question for you," the Doctor complained halfheartedly.

"Too bad. Was it about any underwear I may or may not be wearing today?"

"N-no," he stuttered out. He recovered and pointed at her, "Now you're not supposed to be the one asking questions right now."

"Neither are you! You're supposed to be daring me to do something!"

"Right, umm, hop around the entire room on one foot without falling."

"Really? That's what you're going with?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, "can't think of anything better."

That was a lie but he was not going to voice the majority of the dares that had raced through his mind.

"Well then, I'll just to hopping then. Think you're underestimating my balance though, former gymnast remember?"

"How could I forget when you're so flexible?" He shot back before he thought about it.

Rose gave him a weird look before sauntering over to the wall and started her circuit around the room. She made it on her first try and plopped down on the couch with a triumphant grin.

"Truth or dare, Doctor?"

"Dare?"

"You sure? You didn't sound sure."

"I'm sure," he said. "Dare me."

"Okay, I dare you to…" she trailed off, eyes darting around the room as she tried to come up with a good dare. They landed back on his face and she took a deep breath before declaring "I dare you to lick my cheek."

"Pardon?"

"Lick my cheek. You're always licking things anyways and gettin' us in trouble so…get on with it," she prompted.

 _Oh, this was another of those situations where licking something would get him in trouble_ , the Doctor thought as he shifted forward. His gaze flitted between her eyes and her lips before closing the distance between them and licking a stripe from just off the corner of her mouth to her cheekbone.

He leaned back a bit, settling a bit closer to her than where he'd originally started, and smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Tastes like Rose," he declared cheekily.

"Riiight," she shot back, cheeks pink. She wiped her cheek off and looked at him expectantly.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare, again," Rose answered.

"Can I dare you to do the same thing you dared me to do?"

"Yeah, don't see why not," she said, a tad breathless.

"Then I dare you to lick my cheek," he said.

Rose leaned forward and then paused close enough for him to feel her breath against his skin. "You sure, Doctor?"

"I'm sure," he whispered.

He had barely finished speaking when her tongue made contact with his skin. Her swipe ended where his has but it had originated directly on the corner of his mouth. He couldn't help darting his own tongue out to lick where hers had just been as she pulled back.

Her pupils were more dilated than they had been, he noted absently as he focused on cataloguing her flavor and the way it had felt as her tongue laved over his skin. Maybe she felt like they were teetering right on that knife's edge of being something more than the best of friends just like he did.

Maybe this game would be what finally pushed them over the edge if she was as willing to take that step as he had recently decided he was and it seemed like Rose was at least open to the idea.

"Truth or dare?" she whispered, face still close to his.

"Dare."

"Kiss me," she paused, seemed to lose her courage, "on the wrist."

The Doctor reached out and took her hand, not breaking eye contact with her. He raised her hand, turned it over and pressed a lingering kiss to the inside of her wrist, right above her pulse point.

"Truth or dare?" he asked, lowering their hands to his lap but not letting her go.

"Truth," she said with a nervous laugh. "Haven't done one yet."

"Would you be opposed to me kissing you right now? Because I'd really like to," the Doctor said in a rush, almost tripping over his words as he tried to get them all out.

"I'd definitely not be opposed," she said, smile spreading over her face.

There was an answering one on his face and he hesitated a few inches from her face, trying to make sure that she was definitely okay with this.

"Truth or dare?" Rose whispered.

"Dare."

"Kiss me, Doctor. Properly, this ti-," she was cut off by the Doctor pressing his lips to hers.


End file.
